For the longest time
by TheWorldWillKnow
Summary: A deadly tornado strikes Tulsa, leaving the town, and Ponyboy's life in ruins. T for future language
1. Chapter 1

The sight in the sky was a truly terrifying one. Grey, almost black, cloud crowded the sky and it kind of looked green, somehow. I squinted up at the clouds through my sweat, beginning to get nervous. I kept running though, not wanting to get a bad time on my practice race.

"Take a knee!" I heard Coach Parish shout from the other end of our track. I slowed to a trot, maybe she had seen the unusual sky color too.

"What's going on?" I heard a short girl whisper to her friend. The same confused question was asked by everyone among the hushed crowd.

"Storm's coming, probably just rain. Go home and rest for the meet tomorrow. Connor, stay after you change. I need to talk to you." Coach mumbled tiredly. She waved us off and we all walked back to the locker rooms quietly.

I was sort of made practice had been cut short. Not only would I have to walk home alone, I would have to walk home in the rain.

"Hey! Ponyboy!" a male voice broke into my thoughts and I slowly turned around. Bryce McCarthy was standing there surrounded by a few other guys. They were sophomores, so I didn't know what they were doing talking to me.

"You wanna come to Mimi's with us?" a taller guy called from behind Bryce. I think his name was Cole or something.

Mimi's was a popular burger joint closer to the soc side of town. It wasn't too fancy, or a crummy DX where the gang usually hung out at. Just a small restaurant.

"Sure." I replied, digging around in my pocket for a dollar or two. I touched the money and grinned. It was probably the only time I ever had money left over from anything. Glad I had saved it, I followed Bryce, Cole and their friends out the door of the humid gym and into the cloudy day.

We didn't get a ton of rain in Tulsa, but we did get some. The clouds lingered for about half an hour, and when we finally reached Mimi's, they began to get gradually darker. No rain fell though, It was sort of unsettling, but peaceful at the same time.

"Just a Pepsi, please." I said simple when I reached the counter. The cashier nodded, and handed of the soda. I gave him my wrinkled dollar and went to join Bryce and his friends. They were all laughing about something loudly while eating fries and burgers. I stole a glance out the front window and saw dust kicking up everywhere. Weird.

Bryce must've noticed my nervous look, and peeked out the window too. His next action wasn't all that comforting.

"Everyone get away from the windows." He choked out. His friends looked up from the table, but didn't move.

"I said, get away from the windows!" He yelled sharply. Everyone got up and he led us into the men's bathroom. We sat there for a good twenty minutes before we heard the front window shatter with a sickening crash.

No one moved an inch.


	2. Chapter 2

The storm didn't last very long. Only about four minutes tops, but as we walked out from the bathroom it looked as if a robbery happened or something. Glass all over the floor, tables flipped, splintered wood. I was sure the rest of the town would be worse than this. A morbid thought suddenly slipped into my head.

"M-my brothers." I stammered out incoherently. Bryce heard it though, and I guess something struck him too.

"Well c'mon then, let's get outta here." Bryce said as he cleared his throat. The boys followed him, no questions asked. So maybe Bryce was the self-proclaimed leader or something. He sure was smarter than most of them.

"We can look for your brothers on the way." Bryce added kindly in my direction as he stepped over the remains of the glass door.

Every inch of the road was covered in smashed debris and dust. I was actually surprised how a four minute storm could do something like this. I heard a sound like choking behind me and I saw one of the guys pointing at a totaled black Oldsmobile. It was lying flat on its back, and I swear I saw something inside of it. Not waiting for orders from Bryce, I ran over to the car and began sorting through the sharp shards of glass. Somehow, I just knew someone was in the car.

Bryce and his friends finally got a clue and ran over to help me. Some of them attempted to flip over the car, which was a lost cause. There were only five of us, and the heaviest thing I've ever lifted was a twenty pound weight.

"I got him! I got him!" Cole suddenly shouted from the other side of the car where he was searching. We all bounded over to watch him pull a crumpled figure out of the car. Glass stuck all over his body and his nose was gushing blood. I looked away, not wanting to get sick. We all helped brushing all the glass off his body, luckily, none of it was stuck in him.

"Where do you live?" Bryce asked as he moved closer for the guy to lean on him. Cole supported his other side. They carried the guy in the direction he pointed and dropped him off on his front porch, where he said he could manage on his own. I noticed we had gotten closer to the vacant lot, which was considerably close to where I lived. I waved for Bryce and the guys to follow me.

"Isn't this greaser territory?" one of them asked in a hushed whisper behind me. He didn't get an answer, we had all halted to a stop over a mutilated body at our feet.

"Who's that?" Bryce whispered sadly, I shook my head, selfishly glad it wasn't anyone I knew. The poor sap had a piece of wood lodged right through his chest. I honestly didn't know if it was better to leave it there or rip it out.

"Let's get him to the hospital, Marc." One of the other guys said solemnly. They picked up the guy, who looked about thirteen, and turned to me.

"You gotta car?" the guy called Marc asked. Even though I knew for a fact, they were both too young to drive, I led them to my house to get Darry's truck. As we got to my driveway though, we saw Darry's car was gone. Sodapop and Darry were nowhere in sight.


	3. Chapter 3

"Guys," I heard Bryce whisper as he turned to Marc and the other boy. "Just go use my dad's car, we'll catch up with you later." I saw Marc nodded as he carried the kid away, trying to avoid hitting the wood sticking out of his chest.

What if something like that had happened to Soda and Darry? What would I do then? Just thinking of anything now made my head hurt.

"I'm going to go around, looking for some friends. Check to see they're ok." I told Bryce as I stood up. Him and the track guys were nice, but I didn't want them seeing my gang, my house, or seeing me cry. Bryce nodded solemnly and led the remaining boys out of our neighborhood. He was probably going back to look for more injured people. Bryce was a good person. We might've even been friends if he wasn't middle class.

I slowly kicked a piece of debris, feeling sorry for myself. I guessed I could wait in the street, looking for Darry and Soda, but I needed to make sure everyone else was fine. Sure, sometimes I could care less about Steve or Dally, but they were part of my gang. Besides, waiting around for Darry and Soda wasn't going to magically make them come back.

I slowly started down the dusty street, kicking up dust as I walked. I avoided looking at roof shingles or car parts, thinking of those things happening to Soda and Darry was just too much at the moment.

I knew Soda had taken off work today, but Steve was probably still at the DX when the storm hit. Or maybe he wasn't being a total hard-head and actually found somewhere safe to stay.

When I reached the DX, the sight made me sick. Gasoline spilt everywhere, car windows smashed, and the car garage was basically was ripped to shreds.

"Steve!" I yelled into the mess of the DX. I didn't see him anywhere, maybe he had actually gone and found safety.

"Pony?" a small voice choked out quietly. I heard it though, Steve was here.

"Where are you?" I called, starting to sort through the mess of broken glass on the ground.

"Right here." He said, louder this time. I couldn't see him though. A cold hand on my shoulder made me jump.

"That wasn't funny, Steve!" I shouted at him, coming face to face with Steve. He looked like shit. His cheek was cut open and gushing blood. I could see a few splinters of glass sticking out of his hands.

"Come on, kid. We're going to the hospital." He replied, brushing the dust off of his shirt. He wasn't hurt too bad, why were we going to the hospital?

"Why?" I asked, confused

"That's where Soda is."


	4. Chapter 4

Steve Randle drives like a maniac.

"You mind trying not to crash the damn car?" I mutter bitterly under my breath just as Steve swerves in front of a pickup, flipped on its side.

"Your complaining ain't helping." He retorted, lazily pulling into the hospital parking lot. Some cars just sat right in the middle of the road. I could tell this was going to be a long wait. I could only hope Darry and Soda had gotten here early.

"Alright, so what happened?" I asked in a whisper as we sat down in the overcrowded waiting room. A man sat with his crying wife, adjacent from them was a guy with half an arm. I winced; they were probably shoving the really bad injuries in here.

"Darry called me 'bout a minute after the tornado. Said Soda got crushed under a fallen beam in the house and couldn't move." Steve replied, flipping through a torn up Times magazine. I didn't even bother to look inside of the house, it was probably ruined. Fallen beams weren't good, especially not on anyone's back. Not like Johnny in the church.

"You think they got a doctor already?" I asked as I tapped my leg, a bad habit of mine when I'm nervous. I wish I had a smoke, but I used up my last pack yesterday.

Steve ignored my question.

It had been almost a full year since Dally and Johnny had died. I had truly hated hospitals ever since. The weird smell, the horrible memories, the sight of Johnny lying in that bed, burns coating his body. It just made me sick. Soda being in one just brought back the thoughts of mom and dad, lifeless in white sheets.

No, he couldn't die. Not Soda. He was only seventeen, like Dally. He always talked about joining the war in Vietnam, but I knew he would never do it. Soda could never hurt anyone. If he didn't recover from this, he would become bitter, jaded, and angry. He wouldn't be Soda anymore. It would be worse than literally losing Soda, a bigger part of him would be lost than just his life.

"Steve, Pony? What are you guys doing here?" Darry's voice sounded behind us. I turned around, and for the first time in my life, I saw tearstains on Darry's face. Something was seriously wrong.


	5. Chapter 5

I didn't know what to say. My throat hurt, my eyes stung with hot tears and I felt like I was falling. I just wanted to know what was going on.

"Uh, Soda still isn't out of surgery." Darry said quietly. He stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets and sat down next to us. I caught him tapping his foot though, something he only did when he was nervous. Steve lit up a smoke and tossed me one. The doctors didn't care we were smoking in here even though it was wrong. Almost everyone was smoking.

"He'll be out in a while." Darry choked out. A tear slipped out of his eye and he wiped it away quickly. "Hand me a cigarette." He added, reaching for the lighter next to me. I was surprised, Darry never smoked.

So we sat there, and waited in pure agony. Darry tapped his foot, Steve and I smoked until we were told to put the cigarettes out. We waited, and when Two-bit sprinted in, we waited with him. It felt like days rather than hours. Three hours had passed by the time the doctor finally called us in.

"Family only." The tired-looking doctor said, not looking up from his clipboard. Two-bit sat down quietly, but Steve followed us in. I guess the doctor didn't care at this point.

I was hesitant to walk into the bleach-white room. I didn't want to see Soda like I saw my parents, like Johnny, like Dally crumpled under that streetlight, bullets stuck in his chest.

"Soda?" Darry asked as he took a step inside the room. I looked down pathetically, knowing it would be bad.

"Dar?" Soda mumbled out. We all gasped in relief, he was awake. His face was bad, head basically spilt open and covered in bandaged. He lay on his stomach, with his head lazily lying on one side.

"You're very lucky the beam didn't damage his spine." A cool voice said from behind us. The doctor strode into the room and placed a bottle of pills in Darry's hand. Painkillers, I guessed.

"He'll need time to rest." The doctor added. We all the message and exited the room. Soda was out cold before we even fully left.

"He's fine." Steve told Two-bit. Two-bit nodded and we all got up to leave. Visiting hours were over in ten minutes anyway. Darry led us to the front desk where a lady sat behind a cluttered receptionist desk. She handed Darry a piece of folded paper. He winced as he took a quick look at it.

The bill.

The bill that Darry couldn't pay if Soda was going to be out of work.


	6. Chapter 6

The house was eerily silent as we arrived. I could see the beam that fell on Soda; luckily, it was only the beam that held up our patio roof. It could be repaired, and so could Soda. The doctors told us about physical therapy, stuff that taught him how to walk again.

It was good none of the actual house was damaged, that would cost a fortune. Added onto the hospital bills, we'd be out of food for a month.

"I'm gonna go check on my mom and sister." Two-bit muttered unhappily. It was unlike him to be like this, I guess he just couldn't risk losing another friend. Two-bit had abandonment issues, which was why he started drinking like a mad man when Dally and Johnny died.

"I'm going to go lie down." Darry announced quietly as he retreated to his room. It was just me and Steve. Steve who hadn't spoken a word since we left the hospital. Steve with that shocked expression on his face that made you want to punch someone. Steve didn't deserve this.

"This sucks." I mumbled as I flopped down on the couch.

"Oh did that just occur to you?" Steve snapped back. I looked up at him, confused. I knew I wasn't Steve Randle's favorite person in the world, but he could try to keep down the blazing hatred for at least an hour.

"Sorry." He replied immediately. "Guess I'm kinda shook up about all of this." He admitted. I nodded, knowing what he was talking about.

"C'mon." I said suddenly as I slipped into my coat. Steve shot a confused glance. I just ordered him to follow me though. Surprisingly, he complied and willingly started up the car.

In less than ten minutes, we were at the hospital again.

"We already saw Soda, remember?" Steve hissed as we slipped into the waiting room. It was filled with people; some even had to sit on the ground, so I figured the doctors would keep visiting hours open for a bit more.

"Stay here." I instructed as I walked up to the receptionist desk again. She looked up at me, her face bored and tired.

"Yes?" she asked, raising one eyebrow skeptically.

"Is there a kid here, um, one with a piece of wood stuck in his chest?" I asked quietly, unsure of my voice. She nodded.

"Room 203." She said, not even caring that I obviously wasn't family. The kid had tan skin, like Johnny.

"What are you doing?" Steve asked as I led him down the hallway to room 203. "Soda's room is ove-"

I swiftly knocked on the door. A horse voice croaked something I couldn't make out, so we entered anyway.

And I swear, that kid looked just like Johnathan Cade.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Alright, wow. I am so sorry I haven't been able to update for the past few weeks. I've been busy. Got accepted into ACAA, (a really good performing arts high school) I had finals and all that jazz. So I should be able to update sometime in the next week, if I'm lucky. I'm not entirely sure anyone is reading this story anymore, so I guess pm me or something if you want me to keep writing. I'm kind of hesitant to continue since I'm still not sure if anyone wants me to, but I think I have some pretty good ideas for the next few chapters. So just keep reviewing and tell me if you want me to continue this story. Thanks for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Alright, I know I promised an update on this story like a week ago, but I was really busy this past week. Without further ado, Chapter 7 of For the Longest Time.**

"He's not going to make it, you know."

"I know." I quietly take a seat next to the kid's bed. He looks surprisingly young up close, probably only eleven or twelve. The wooden stake was obviously removed from his chest; his torso was bandaged up poorly, blood leaks through the rushed bandages. The sight of him made me sick and light-headed, like I was watching another friend die.

His body was so bony; he couldn't have weighed more than eighty pounds. I noticed his breathing was slow too. His hands lay limply at his sides, his shoulders tense. I could tell he hadn't eaten an actual meal in a few days; he looked like he needed it too. I soon found myself pondering what the boy was thinking about. Did he have parents or a family? Did anybody even care he was about to die?

I feel Steve gingerly place a hand on my heaving shoulders and I look up, confused. A hot tear drops onto the floor and I see Steve was crying.

"Steve, calm down, what's wrong?" I say quietly, I had never seen Steve like this. Sobs racked his body as he held onto the bleach white hospital walls for support.

"This little kid is gonna die, Pony. That coulda been Soda, or you, or even my old man." Steve whispered through his tears. I half-heartedly patted him on the back. I'm not the greatest at comforting people.

"I didn't even visit Johnny when he was dying, Pone. Why didn't I see him?"

"Steve, it's fine-"I begin to say, but a long shuddering sob cuts me off. I notice the boy has almost entirely stopped breathing. I rush to the door and tell for a nurse, a doctor, anyone.

No one comes.

Steve continues to cry against the wall. I stare down at the boy, struggling for air, trying so hard to hold on.

Jack.

His name is Jack Payton.

A sharp pain hits my stomach when I see he's gone.


	9. Chapter 9

I don't feel like going home when we get kicked out of the hospital room. Steve isn't in the mood either, so we decide to walk around for a while. I can see the pain coming off of Steve in waves, like he's going to cry again. He wanted to stay with that kid so bad, because maybe that kid didn't have anyone else.

"You think his parents know?" I asked solemnly, shoving my fists into my jeans pockets. I step over the remains of someone's roof and sigh. This whole town looks like the apocalypse hit or something.

Steve shrugs in reply, that far off glance still in his eyes; I can tell he's thinking about something important. He hasn't said a word since the hospital, I try not to force anything out of him, but I'm still confused. Since when did Steve Randle really care about anyone but Soda? I saw the way his face drained of color when he figured out Johnny died, and I heard his calls into the night, screaming at those cops who shot Dally. Ever since that night, Steve had been distant from the rest of us, cold to everyone except Soda who could always cheer him up. His broad Evie was an exception too.

I'm not saying he had become a stone-cold loathing asshole or anything; Steve was just never emotional like this. He bottled up all of his feelings and never cared to open them, trying to keep his image I suppose. I hadn't seen him cry since he was nine and he scraped his leg up real good while playing football.

"It ain't fair, Pony, it just ain't fair." He says through clenched teeth. I can sense the anger and fear in his strangled voice. He holds a small metal rectangle in his hands, tossing it from hand to hand. I soon realize it's a blade. Johnny's blade. I don't ask how he got it.

"He woulda gotten better help if he was a soc, you know that?" Steve hisses bitterly, I shake my head.

"Steve, almost all of the town was destroyed; no one got any special medical attention." I argued reasonably. Steve refuses to listen to the rational side of this though. He sinks to the ground and I fall down next to him. We're not fat from the hospital and it's crowded parking lot, I notice some cars are even strewn around the block because of the limited parking space. It seems as if the whole town was at the hospital today.

"We should probably head home." He moans at the gravel. I nod, not sure if he saw. We get up and head back to his car, an old light blue Mercury that Steve found in the junkyard, these past few months. Soda and him spent all their free time fixing up that car. I know why now, Steve had pain to hide, the distraction of the car helped. He wasn't over Johnny and Dally yet.

The pain of their deaths never really faded away. At first, it felt being punched in the gut over and over again. After three months, the misery felt more like a constant stomachache. Same with the death of my parents. Almost one whole year without them, I still miss them every day.

And I know Steve does too.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: As my first fanfiction, this story hasn't exactly been a success. In a few chapters, I'm going to end the story. Since that's not so far off, I've been thinking about what I'm going to write next. So, I've started a chapter of a possible new story about another Curtis brother. I would love to hear some feedback about this idea and maybe some suggestions? Keep reading and stay gold.**


	11. Chapter 11

J'àrrive à toi par miracle après de longues années,

âpres l'enfance grisâtre et la jeunesse.

J'arrive au port les mains vides.

J'arrive au front sans sagesse,

J'arrive a l'âgé sans raison.

Tu me manque.

-Carla Bruni, J'arrive à toi.

The harbor was still when I arrived that morning. Thick fog clouded me view and I could barley see the waters below. I could only hear the faint cry of the gulls and the occasional splash from below the dock where I sat. Exactly thirty-two Koi fish lived in the lake.

It wasn't a big lake. Only about a mile long. In late March though, the eater was freezing cold just like the air around me. Years earlier, my father had taken me fishing on the lake with our small boat. It had taken me more than I would like to admit to figure out that there were no fish in the lake. That was before they put the Koi in the lake last winter.

"Now tell me," My father had begun sternly as we walked home after tying up the boat. "Why did I wait so long before telling you about the fish?"

"You wanted me to figure it out myself?" I guessed trying to keep up with my father's long strides. To my disappointment, he shook his head.

"I wanted you to think outside of the box." He replied, I looked up at him quizzically. "Remember when I took your brother fishing and we caught a Carp?" I nodded in jealousy, thinking about the forty-pounder my oldest brother Darry has reeled out of the lake.

"How were me and your brother able to catch hat, but me and you couldn't catch anything?" I shrugged,

"Did all the fish die?" My innocent nine-year old self asked. My father shook his head once again. "Then what?" I exclaimed, earning a laugh from my dad.

"Think about it." He said simply. He left me with those words as he retreated to the house, which I hadn't realized we had reached due to our conversation and my confusion about the lake.

"You thinking about dad?" A voice asked behind me. I knew exactly who it was by his footsteps, Soda. Soda always stepped lightly and carefully whenever someone was upset, afraid he would set them off like an angry horse.

"Yeah. And the Carp." I admitted sheepishly. I had thought about it a lot over the past year. Mom and Dad had died in January of last year, it had been exactly fourteen and half months since they were in the accident. Seven since Johnny and Dally had both died.

"You ever understand what he meant?" Soda asked. I shook my head and Soda grinned, a sign that he didn't either.

"You want to?"

"Nope."

And with that, we left. The boat bobbing behind us in the dark water.

**A/N: Well, that's the end of this story. Kind of had a strike of random inspiration for the last chapter here. And by the way, I did the math. In the book, (Or was it the movie?) Ponyboy mentions he had been fourteen for a month. This means the book takes place in the month of August because Ponyboy was born in July, 1952. Ponyboy also says his parents had died eight months before the book. This means, they died in January. I had this story take place in March, because that's when tornado season starts in Oklahoma. The final chapter takes place weeks after the story, so as you can see, Soda didn't die. I'm really glad that a bunch of you liked the story and I can't wait to keep writing on here. As my first story, I think the outcome and all the great reviews I got from you guys really helped convince me to keep on this website. I know it sounds stupid but I've kind of bee depressed lately. Like I said, I just got accepted into this really great performing arts highschool, but that meant I had to leave all of my friends who I've known since I was eight or nine. So I think this website really acted as a distraction for all of that. If you guys have any suggestions for new stories I would love to hear them since I'm kind of out of ideas now. Please PM or review any ideas for a new story or just a quick one-shot and I would be really grateful. As always, Stay Gold.**


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